Republican Governor Sets Election Date For Vacant House Seat While Slamming County For Insecure Elections

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that Nov. 4 will be the date of the special election for the 18th Congressional District seat previously held by the late Democratic Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner.

The governor issued the proclamation after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries threatened a lawsuit against Abbott on April 2 for delaying an announcement on the special election date. Abbott claimed that the date would allow Harris County, where the election will be held, to prepare for the election while slamming officials for running insecure elections.

“No county in Texas does a worse job of conducting elections than Harris County. They repeatedly fail to conduct elections consistent with state law. Safe and secure elections are critical to the foundation of our state,” said Governor Abbott in the press release. “Forcing Harris County to rush this special election on weeks’ notice would harm the interests of voters. The appropriate time to hold this election is November, which will give Harris County sufficient time to prepare for such an important election.”

The House seat will be vacant for another eight months, Abbott giving candidates who want their names on the special election ballot the application date of Sept. 3. The governor set the early voting opening period between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31.

Turner, who previously served as the mayor of Houston was elected to the seat in November 2024, died March 5 following President Donald Trump’s joint address to congress. He succeeded long-time Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away in July 2024. (RELATED: Dem Rep Passes Away Just Months After Winning Election To Congress)

House Republicans have called Harris County’s election integrity into question before, a group of 14 of GOP lawmakers sending a letter to the county in 2021 probing into their election funding.

A 2023 audit found that the county had “multiple failures conducting the election and violated election law,” in the 2022 election, according to a statement from former Secretary of State Jane Nelson. The preliminary findings report noted that Harris County had “equipment issues” and errors in voter registration data to the tune of almost 3,600 ballots not reported to the state yet sent to voters.

Abbott’s and Harris County’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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